Apparatus for the manufacture of thread or the like



Dec. 24, 1940. w. F, KNEBUSCH ETAL 2,225,643

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE 0F THREAD 0R THE LIKE Original Filed Feb. 18, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet l FIG. i

lll/lIll/llll/ Snventors Waren F. HNL-'nasal 8- LDEN H. BUHHHOLDE Gttorneg 24, W40 `w. FQKNEBUscH ETAL ,2,225,543

APFARATUS FR THE MANUFACTURE OF THREAD OR THE LIKE `Original Filed Feb. 18, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 l nventots Mum F. /f/veaumv HLaeN H. ummowfn Dec- 24, 1940 w. F. KNEBUscH ETV-AIL 2,225,643

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF THREAD 0R TH LIKE original Filed Feb. 18, 1935 43 sheets-sheet s rw'ento` Imm? E #Meaux/1 3 l mom H, Bummowfn y Patented D.24,194o i 2,225,643

\ UNITED STATES 'l PATENT oFFicE `APPARATUS Fen THE MANUFACTURE or` THREAD on THE LIKE j WalterF. Knebuschand Aiden H. Burkhcldcr,

Cleveland, Ohio, assignors to Industrial'Rayon Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Original application February i8, 1935, Serial No. 7,114. Divided and thisapplicaton April 30, 1937, Serial No. 139.958

claims.` (ci. 18;;8)

This invention relates to apparatus for the scribedhereinafter as applied to the manufacture manufacture'oi` thread Vor the like. l of multiple filament viscose articial silk thread. The present application is a, division of prior The machine' illustrated as embodying the luapplication Serial No. 7,114, filed February 18, vention comprises tWO banks 0f thread-storage.

I 1935, by Walter F. Knebuschand Alden H. Burkthread-advancing devices `On'eaeh 0f which de- 5 holder, in which is shown, described and broadly vices a great length 0f thread may be temporarclalmed apparatus suitable for the manufacture ily stored in a Small cOmDaC-t space. The Operatof thread or the like by a continuous process. ing faces of said banks, i. e., the faces of the On such apparatus the thread or the like, as, for banks IfIOm which, fOr manipulation 0f the example., articial silk thread manufactured by thread, access may be had t0 the thread-storage, 10 lthe viscose process, may be temporarily stored on thread-advancing deViCes are OPDOSiteiY disposed each of a plurality of threadstorage, thread.. with respect to each other. Preferably, but not advancing devices, suitable processing treatments necessarily the'bahks 0f thread-stelage, threadbeing applied to the thread or the like while advancing devices are inclined toward each other,

stored on such devices. The thread-storage, the means fOr forming the threads being diS- 15 thread-advancing devices may be mounted in DOSed intermediate 0f and adjacent the upper `stepped arrangement, the thread-receiving porends 0f the banksA The threads. after leaving tion of each device other than the first being disthe thread-forming means. follow a `descending posed in apposite relation to the thread discharge OUISe over a Series 0f thread-storage, threadportion of the preceding device, The apparatus advancing'devices from the last oi which they 20 illustrated in said prior application and herein Proceed t0 the Collecting means. specifically claimed is double sided, including The thread-Storage. thread-advancing devices two inclined banks of tin-end storuge, threadmay conveniently take the form of reels of a type advancing devices. Each bank comprises a numlater t0 be described which, during rotation g5 ber of thi-end storage, tnread udvuncing devices thereof, wind and advance the thread in a piu- 25 disposed to foi-m n plurality ofdescending 5eries rality of spaced, generally helical4 turns. The

In the accompanying drawings' Figure 1 is reels arepreferably of cantileverform; i. e., supan end elevation of a machine for the manufac- Ported and driven only from 011e end thereof. ture of thread or the like, said machine being The reels in each bank are illustrated as disposed of the kind Shown und described in Suid prior in a plurality of descending series. The reels in 30 application, Figure 2 is un end elevation correeach series are to advantage disposed in stepped sponding to Figure 1, but on a larger scale, of arrangement with the receiving end of each reel u portion of themaehlne', Figui-e 3 is u front immediately below the discharge end of the preelevaiion on the same scale as Figure 2 of the ceding reel. The discharge ends of the reels are operai-,ing face of the maehinesnown on the right thus presented toward the operating face of the 3 of Figure `1.` Ineach of Figures 1, 2 and 8, parts bank- Y have been Omitted, either for the` sake of clear- This arrangement of reels provides great adness or in order to show the con-struction of the Vantages in Permitting access t0 the reels for machine, l 1 manipulation of the thread, inspection, repair,

, 40 Figure 4 is a, detailseotional elevation on u etc. Moreover, it is thereby possible to position 40 larger scale. on approximately lines 4-4 of Figthe reels in adjacent series in suchrelaton to ure 5, through one form of thread-storage each other that corresponding reels are in-corthread-advancing device which may be used in responding positions. Thus the reels arein a machines embodying the present invention, Figsense disposed in a. plurality of horizontal series ure 5 is a plan, 0n a slightly smaller scale than which extend longitudinally of the machine. 45 that of Figure 4, illustrating several thread- This disposition of the reels results in simplistorage, thread-advancing devices and associated ilcation o! the machine and provides important portions of the apparatus, the cover of the gear advantages in the construction of the driving housing being omitted. Flgure is an elevation means and processing apparatus.

of the unsupported end of the thread-storage In the machine illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 50 device of Figure 4. In the drawings, like refer- 3, the threadis formed inthe usual manner by ence characters refer to like parts throughout. extrusion of the viscose through a spinneret into While the apparatus is capable of use in cona coagulating bath 2. The thread resulting from nection with the manufacture or processing of coagulation o: the viscose is led thence to the any kind or thread or the like. it will be defirst thread-storage, thread-advancing reel 5, 55

ing lower and upper platforms 8, 9, respectively carried by cross beams I0, I supported by corner posts I2, the platforms 8, 9 being connected by diagonal uprights |3, I4. The driving mechanisms for the reels include a drive motor I8 mounted at one end of the machine as shown in Figure 3 the shaft of which actuates speed-reducing device I9 operating cross shaft 28 provided at its opposite ends with bevel gears 2| driving bevel gears 22 on diagonal shafts`23, of which one may be provided on the left side and one on the right side of the machine as shown.-

Diagonal shafts 23 are provided at various levels withtake-off drives for the reels 5a to 5i, inclusive. For convenience, 4thekshafts 23 and drive connections therefrom to the several reels may be located at one end of the machine as shown' in Figures 2 and 3.

As the drive. connection from the primary drive shaft 23 to each of the reels 5a to 5i is the same, a description of one willsufiice for all. Thus, for the drive connection to each of the reels 5a to 5i, primary drive shaft 23 is provided with a spiral gear 60 driving a spiral gear 6| on a short horizontal shaft 62 parallel to the front of the machine, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. Shaft 62 is provided with a gear'63 which drives a gear 64 on a shaft 4| mounted on a slotted bracket 66 pivoted to turn about a shaft 61 and held in anir desired position by `cap screw 44 passing into the frame of the machine through a grooved slot in said bracket. Shaft 4| carries a. gear 65 meshing with a gear 68 mounted for rotation with shaft 61. Shaft 61 extends horizontally and longitudinally along the operating face of themachine and is provided with driving means for the series of reels disposed along said shaft.

'Ihe means for driving each reel from the drive shaft 61 appears from Figures 4 and 5. As shown, the driving means may be inclosed in a longitudinally extending housing 16 which may also serve as a lubricant reservoir for the parts therein and which may beprovided with a removable cover 11. Drive shaft 61 extends longitudinally of the housing, its outwardly projecting ends being connected by couplings 15 to like ends of neighboring shaftsections. 'I'he shafts 12 for the reels are journalled in suitable bosses in the walls .of the housing 16 and extend across the housing 16 and shaft 61.

In the apparatus shown, each reel in a horizontal seriesis mounted on one face of the housing 16 and is driven from drive shaft 61 by a spiral gear 18 mounted thereon and engaging a spiral gear 1f rotatably mounted on .the reel drive shaft 12. Spiral gear 1| is provided with a clutch member 13a cooperating with a clutch member 13b splined to the shaft 12 and having a grooved collar 52. In the groove of collar 52 is disposed the Ifork 53 of a rod connected vto one arm of a bell vcrank lever 14. By suitable movement of the bell crank lever, the reel may be disengaged from the shaft 61. Each reel may, as shown, be provided with its individual clutch, the lever 14 for all of the reels being individually operated.

'is of the same general type and operates in the same manner as the reel shown, described and claimed in a prior application entitled "Winding reel, Serial No. 652,089, filed January 16, 1933, by Walter F. Knebusch. The reel is, however, of cantilever form in the sense that it is supported from one end thereof, the thread-supporting bars of the reel being free and unobstructed at the other end of the reel. Therefore by rotating the reel in the proper direction to cause the turns of thread to travel from its supported end to its unsupported or free end, the ,task of transferring the thread from reel to reel is materially simplified, due to the absence of an extending shaft 4or any other obstruction at the unsupported end of the reel; The thread turns may be discharged from this end of the reel and transferred to the succeeding reel with no tangling about any obstruction at the free end of the reel, as would be the case with Va reel supported at both ends. 'I'he unobstructed end of the reel permits ready accessibility to the reel for operating or other purposes.

. The form of reel illustrated is made up of two interiitting rigid, generally cylindrical members respectively designated and 8|.

Member 80 may be termed the concentric -memberbecause it is concentric with, iixed to and rotates with the shaft 12. It comprisesa-fbody portion of `generally cylindrical form having its periphery formed of a plurality of spaced bars 83, the body portion being mounted on a sleeve 84 keyed to the shaft 12 and heldin place thereon by a nut 85 threaded upon the end of said shaft.y

Member 8| may be called the eccentric member beca-use, while it is generally of cylindrical form, it is mounted with its axis laterally onset from and slightly inclined to the axis of the reel drive shaft 12. The member 8|, as shown, comprises a head formed of inner and outer rings 81, 88, the formerof which has peripheral slots to receive the bars 89. The bars 86 are clamped between the rings 81, 88 which are held together by screws 8|a. Inner ring 81 is mounted on a sleeve 98 journalled to rotate upon a supporting member 9| which surrounds shaft 12 and is spaced therefrom. Means are provided for supporting member 9| with its axis slightly offset laterally from and inclined with relation to the axis of shaft 12.

Rotation of the reel drive shaft 12 causes concentric member 80 xed thereto to rotate, whereupon contact of its bar members 83 with bar members 89 of eccentric member 8| causes said eccentric member to rotate. The thread is thus caused toV wind on the reel, the degreeof the inclination between the axes of .the reel members determining the lead'or pitch of the turns of the thread. The thread is wound in generally helical form upon the reel and advanced lengthwise thereof. With a reel of this general type, any desired length of thread within reasonable limits may thus be continuously temporarily stored in a larger number of closely spaced turns. v

Reels of the form shown in Figures 4 and 6 may be employed without change -for each of the reels 5a to 5h, inclusive, Figures 1 and 2, since it is upon these reels that any wet processing operations are performed upon the lthread. However,

medium to the thread stored on the reel. Such drying medium is preferably supplied from the interior of the reel, entering the reel from a hollow driving shaft employed for the purpose.

vThe means for subjecting the thread to wet processing operations may conveniently take the form illustrated. Such means comprise reagent distributing systems for supplying processing liquid to the thread on the reel, a series of troughs for collecting the processing liquid as it drains from the reel, and `apparatus for recirculating the liquid or conducting it to .the sewer. The individual reagent distributing systems, each of which serves corresponding reels in adjacent series, embodies a series of reagent distributors positioned above the reels supplied from a common supply manifold ||3 extending longitudinally of the machine. For each processing reagent'there is a separate reagent distributing system of this kind.

As shown in Figures 2, 3 and 5', troughs |08, suitably formed to collect the liquid and prevent splashing thereof, may be provided with a re-entrant portion ||8 below the reelto allow the transfer of the thread from the reel to the one below it. Because of the arrangement of the reels, it is possible to have one such trough serve several corresponding reels in adjacent processing series. Each trough |00 Ymay communicate either i with a sewer, as when the liquid collected in the trough is wash water or some other liquid which is to be discarded, or a suitable recirculating and make-up system from which the liquid collected is passed to the corresponding supply conduit, if the liquid collected in the trough is one which it is desired to re-use.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3 for other details of the apparatus shown, the collecting device comprises a cap-twister 'I of substantially standard form. Each descending series of reels is prohaving belt tighteners |20a. Drum Il! is driven by a belt |2| actuated from the drive shaft of the speed-reducing mechanism l0 which is driven by motor I8.

For reciprocating the twister spindles a speedreducing device |22 is provided, driven by a belt |23 from a pulley on shaft 20. The shaft |24 of such speed-reducing device is provided with a cam |25 actuating a lever |20 pivotally mounted on the frame at |21 and connected' by tension members |28 to lifting rods |29 on each side of the machine. Rods |29 on each side of the machine are slidable in vertical guides |30, and are connected by a rail |3I which carries the rotatable spindles for the cap-twisters, the vertically moving parts being partly counterbalanced by weights |32. The function of drums IIS and cams |25 is to rotate and vertically reciprocate the spindles of several cap-twisters.

Apparatus of the kind shown comprising two oppositely disposed inclined banks of threadstorage. thread-advancing devices provides numerous advantages. Machines of such form are compact and economical of floor space; in fact,

it is doubtful whether, for a given production a more compact arrangement could be devised. Such machines lend themselves, furthermore, to designs which possess numerous advantages from an engineering standpoint. They are characterized by their low cost of construction.

In the case of the illustrated apparatus, the framework of the machine is such that the supports for the two inclined banks mutually contribute to support each other. In said apparatus, for instance, the framework for the machine comprises inclined frame members which are joined together at the upper portions thereof and at the lower portions thereof. strong, rigid construction which is of simple design, which requires few parts, and which may be economically made. Furthermore. the illustrated construction provides a clear space inside the machine from which access may be had to interior portions of the machine for maintenance, repair, and inspection purposes.

Moreover, ,machines of this type provide advantages in that other portions of the machine,in addition to the framework, may be common to the thread-storage, thread-advancing devices in both banks.` Thus inthe illustrated apparatus the reels, spinning pumps, collecting devices, etc., for both sides of the machine are driven from a common source of power. Furthermore, processing reagents may be supplied from a common source to corresponding reels on opposite sides of the machine, as is illustrated in the case of the This results in a very above described embodiment of the invention in which, as shown in Figures l and 3 of the drawings, heated air for the drying reels in corresponding positions in opposite banks is supplied from a common heater |52, supplied by a blower |53, said heater communicating through manifolds |5| and ducts with the reels. Consequently, a high degree of uniformity of the thread produced on both sides of the machine is possible.

The platform 9 toward the upper portion of the machine is likewise common to the thread-forming means for both banks of reels.

Suitable means may be provided at each side of the machine from which an operator may have access to the reels on that side. In the illustrated apparatus, such-means comprises a ladder |40 slidable along an operating face of the machine on track |4| on the iloor and track |42 at the upper part of the machine. As in the case of an operator working on platform 9, an operator standing on such ladder performs only a certain class of operations at which he is particularly skilled. Thus there is an advantageous subdivision of labor in machines embodying the prevent invention, since each operator works at only one portion Vof the machine and performs only those tasks for which he is best fitted. Consequently machines of the present invention make possible the production of thread at very low labor costs.

materials which may be handled on such ap- 7 paratus.

It is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features ef patentablenovelty reside inthe invention. Y

What isclaimed is:

. 1. Apparatus for the manufacture of threadcr the like comprising two inclined banks of threadstorage, rthread-advancing devices, the operating faces'of said-banks taking the form of oppositeiy disposed planes; a common frame structure supporting said banks; means associated with said common frame structure for forming thread or the like; and, disposed between the planes defined by the operatingfaces of said banks, common means for supplying treating media for processing the thread or the like stored on the thread-storage, thread-advancingv devices of said banks, the arrangement of said common frame structure, said means for forming thread or the like, and said commonY supply meansproviding a substantially unobstructedspace between said banks.

2. Apparatus for the manufacture of thread or v the like comprising two inclined banks of threadstorage, thread-advancing devices, the operating faces of said banks taking the form of oppositely disposed planes;v a common frame structure supporting said banks which frame structure is bent-shaped in cross section; means associated with said common frame structure for forming thread or the like; and, disposed between the planes dened by the operating faces of said banks,

Y thread-storage, thread-advancing devices of said banks, the arrangement of said common bentshapedframe structure, said means for forming thread or the like, and said common supply meansV providing a substantially unobstructed space between said banks.

3. Apparatus for the manufacture of thread or the like comprising two inclined banks of thread-storage, thread-advancing devices, the operating faces of said banks taking the form of oppositely disposed planes; a common frame structure supporting said banks comprising inclined frame members connected together by cross-members; means supported from the upper ends oi' said inclined frame members for forming thread or thelike; and,disposed between the planes defined by theoperating faces of said banks, common means for supplying treating media for processing the thread or the like stored on the threadstorage, thread-advancing devices of said banks, the arrangement oi' said common frame structure, said means for forming thread or the like, and common supply means providing a substantially unobstructed space between said banks.

4. Apparatus as in claim 3 in which the means for forming the thread or the like comprisev two coagulating baths disposed with their working faces in juxtaposition.

5. Apparatus as in claim 3'in which the means for forming the thread or the like comprise two coagulating baths each Aof which is supported from one of said inclined frame members.

WALTER F. KNEBUSCH. yAInDEN H. BURKHOLDER. 

